LaFayette, N.Y. (NCC News) – This week, Beak & Skiff was named the best apple orchard in the country, per USA Today. 2021 marks the third season in which the orchard has won the award. Beak & Skiff has claimed the crown four times in the past six years, having won the award in back-to-back years. This apple-picking season, the road to national recognition proved arduous, but the orchard gained stalwart supporters.
When the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak, Beak & Skiff couldn’t operate at full capacity, closing a majority of its shops. To add insult to injury, an August 2020 barn fire incinerated thousands of pounds of apple products.
After a year of reinvention and innovation, Beak & Skiff burst onto the CBD scene, adding hemp-growing grounds and a laboratory. As for their family-friendly ventures, the orchard built a playground sandwiched between apple trees, and over 700 Amish-style tables. For lifelong apple-picker Shari Vanderhoof, Beak & Skiff has been her playground through the ups and downs. Ultimately, she says there’s nothing she would rather do than spend time with her family at the orchard.
Vanderhoof: “Over the years I’ve been coming here, it’s so much better,” states Vanderhoof. “[There are] so many more things to do. The shops, the food- everything about [the orchard] is fantastic.”
Vanderhoof’s first memories of Beak & Skiff date back to her young adulthood. The Central New Yorker is an avid pie-baker, and she uses only apples from Beak & Skiff.
With inseparable ties to the orchard and its sweet McIntosh apples, Vanderhoof has made it a tradition to visit to celebrate her birthday. Vanderhoof says there is no better gift than spending a day at the orchard with her loved ones.
Vanderhoof: “I always come here with my son, his kids, and his spouse, and to me, that’s a great birthday present.” attests Vanderhoof.
This year, Vanderhoof brought along a convoy of family-members, including her son, Mike, daughter-in-law, Amanda, and grandson, Zachary. These opportunities are a blessing, and yet another chance to make a lifelong memory, says Vanderhoof.
Vanderhoof: “Family is everything to me,” states Vanderhoof, covered with hundreds of hearts on her t-shirt. “It’s love. I wear my ‘love shirts’ a lot because just being here as a family, no matter the age difference, making memories [is everything].”
Although Vanderhoof typically visits Beak & Skiff on a yearly basis, she says she can not wait to return to celebrate her birthday in a month.
